


The Rains of November

by sinelanguage



Category: Persona 4
Genre: Angst, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, November spoilers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-10-11
Updated: 2015-10-11
Packaged: 2018-04-25 22:18:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,482
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4978663
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sinelanguage/pseuds/sinelanguage
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>> You’ve done everything that could have possibly been done… All you can do is wait for Nanako’s recovery now.</p><p>The Investigation Team had rescued Yukiko in the nick of time; they rescued Rise on the first day of rain; they thought they had stopped killer on the day before the fog set in. However, they rescued Nanako the first day they entered the TV, and now they could only wait.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Rains of November

**11/07/11 - Monday**

The day after they rescued Nanako- the day after they had first entered the dungeon- Souji called them all to Junes.

Yesterday had been harsh; constant running and dodging shadows; only getting into battles if it was really _needed_ ; having to use scrappy, defensive tactics because of the overpowered enemies. FIghting Namatame was harder, and Souji didn’t think anyone would be forgetting the dull, senseless grip of the more brutal tactics, of being under Namatame’s control.

Still, they had _won_. Which made it all the more surprising that Souji had called them all here.  

They were all wearing the tell-tale signs of exhaustion. Chie leaned her arm on the back of her chair, trying to look casual, but resting her head on her forearm when she thought no one was looking. Similarly, Rise was sitting backwards in a chair, resting her head on the crook of her elbow for the entire conversation. Teddie copied her, his eyes drooping every fifth word or so. Kanji and Yosuke had foregone any attempt to hide their tiredness, slouching in their chairs, while Naoto and Yukiko both sat upright, the pose forced.

Even the fox was sleeping, hiding its eyes behind its paws.

Yosuke had his arms crossed, looking at Souji with something akin to a glare. “Hey, you sure we need to go in there?”

The team turned, tense and awake, to Souji. Souji nodded, looking at his own hands.

“We did everything we could,” Yosuke said, “Nanako’s out of there, we need to give it a rest, dude.”

“Yosuke’s right,” Chie sighed. Her head was still on her arm. “We’re all exhausted, we were in there until like, one.”

“We still need to train,” Souji said quickly. He raised his gaze, looking around the group for confirmation he didn’t find. “We don’t know what he’s… we don’t know if he’ll pull anything else.”

No one looked convinced; Kanji even looked worried, and Souji made sure to skip looking at him.

“Whatever you say, partner,” Yosuke said. He was looking at Souji, searching for an explanation, but Souji stared deadpanned and ahead.

When they entered the TV, Souji split them into groups. He took Yosuke, Yukiko, and Naoto in his own group, while everyone else trailed behind with Rise. While he had intended to go to Heaven again, Yosuke had protested, and other team members chimed in agreement.

Frustrated, Souji relented, saying that they should look for some supplies in the Secret Laboratory. The old man in the shopping district had said something about coal, and they should be able to find it in there, somewhere. Luckily for the group, they found what they needed sooner than anticipated.

“That’s it, right?” Yukiko said, “We’re only on the third floor, too. That was lucky.”

Staring at the item in his hands, Souji nodded. He turned it over, then put it in his pocket, looking unsatisfied. “That… should be it.”

Yosuke looked at Souji again, again searching for _something_ , but Rise interrupted before he could say anything.

“The exit’s not too far, senpai” Rise chirped, “You should just need to take a right at the next intersection.”

Everyone was glad to exit the TV world, stretching and yawning as they said their goodbyes. Yosuke stayed behind, still watching Souji carefully. He tapped his foot on the ground impatiently, waiting as one by one, everyone else went home. He even told Teddie that he’d catch up with him later, not giving a reason why.

Souji had tried to leave with the others, but Yosuke grabbed the sleeve of his jacket.

“Something’s _off_ , dude, we need to take a break,” Yosuke said, still holding the fabric of the jacket between his fingers, “We need to train, sure, but is now really… do we really have to do it now? There’s nothing we can do there, right now-”

“-I know what I’m doing,” Souji sighed. He moved, just enough, to pry Yosuke’s fingers off his jacket. “We’re not off, we got that coal we needed. On the third floor, too.”

Yosuke set his hands in his pockets, “I don’t know, partner, you’re…”

“I know what I’m doing,” Souji said, petulant but final.

Yosuke waved his hands in front of him, dismissing his own worries.

“Alright, alright, you know what you’re doing, sheesh,” Yosuke said, “Just, if you ever need to… talk, or change your mind, call me before you do anything stupid.”

**11/08/11 - Tuesday**

When class ended, Souji stayed behind, packing his supplies as slowly as possible. He shouldn’t want to go back into the TV world as badly as he did; he was nervous, mulling over Nanako’s rescue in his head to try and find more answers.

“Hey, Souji,” Chie said, glancing at Yukiko for a moment- for approval?- then continued, “We’re not… we’re taking a break today, right?”

“Yeah,” Souji said, reluctantly. He could hear the sigh of relief from behind him, and ignored it. “I have other plans today.”

Chie looked at Yukiko again, “Sounds good. Text us if you need anything, okay?’

Giving a tight-lipped smile, Souji nodded, shoving the rest of his supplies hazardously into his bag. He hadn’t really had other plans; he hadn’t been able to let the thought of the dungeons go, but would knew it wouldn’t be apt to gather everyone there again.

Exiting class, he started toward the stairs- maybe fishing, or petting the cats, or going on a weapons run today- when Yumi stopped him. She’d waved, looking unsure of herself but determined.

“Hey, long time no see,” Yumi said, leaning on the banister, “We don’t really run into each other anymore.”

“Sorry, it’s been…” Souji paused, not sure how to explain, “I didn’t mean for things to be awkward.”

Yumi smiled tightly, looking away. “I supposed that’s mostly my fault.”

Before Souji could disagree, Yumi leaned off the banister and asked, “Do you want to walk home together?”

There was something about the concerned look she gave him, and the timing of it all, that makes Souji balk. He could sense where this was going, and he didn’t think he could swallow reassurances, not when he could be searching for answers.

“I’m alright,” Souji said, quickly, “Sorry, today’s… We can catch up some other time?”

Not leaving her much time to respond, Souji fled as soon as he could down the stairs and away. He thought he heard a shaky “goodbye” behind him, and tried to ignore how guilty that made him feel.

Grabbing his shoes as quickly as possible, Souj dropped one on the floor with a loud clunk. Sighing, he flipped it over, looking over his shoulder to see if anyone noticed. Unfortunately, someone had. Naoki stood, arms crossed, giving Souji a curious look.

“You in a rush today?” Naoki asked, watching Souji put on his shoes.

Souji shook his head, “No, not really.”

Naoki looked relieved. “You think we could head out today, then? It’s been.. nice, talking to you, about, well, you know.”

He had talked to Naoki a couple times before, between dungeons. They were always sombering conversations, bitter in a way he could only process slowly. Importantly, he thought, they mostly focused on Naoki, and not himself.

“Sure, we can head out to Aiya’s.”

**11/09/11 - Wednesday**

It had taken a while to catch Naoto’s attention on the card the man gave him. It had taken a while for Souji to get the card, too, but that was the less important communication in the long run. It was more important that he was finally here, sitting on the park bench, investigating it.

Souji flipped over the card in his hands, fingers tracing over the empty space, as if he was trying to find words on it.

“Are you sure you want to be looking into this right now?” Naoto said, eyes not quite meeting Souji’s.

“I’m worried,” Souji said, “I don’t want to write this off as a prank, like…”

Souji set the card back down on the table, “I don’t want to write this off as a prank.”

“I can do it myself. This is probably just a prank, and you probably need,” Naoto trailed off, again avoiding eye contact, “I can do it myself.”

Souji slides the card back across the table. It’s a careful motion, making sure not to bend or fold the edges. “You don’t have to do this alone.”

Naoto met his eyes, finally. “You don’t either.”

This time, Souji was the one who couldn’t hold his eye contact. He looked away, fingers curling under the table on his own knees, trying to think of ways to flee the conversation. Luckily, he didn’t have to do much- Naoto looked nervous, probably about crossing boundaries- and they both went home their separate ways.

**11/10/11 - Thursday**

Dodging any questions from the investigation team, Souji found himself sitting back at Aiya’s dinner, next to Naoki. It wasn’t that he was avoiding people, he figured, it was just that it was easier, to sit and listen to someone else’s worries instead of his own.

The conversation was quiet, muttered between bites of noodles. Naoki wanted to quit school and help with the liquor store. Despite himself, Souji voiced his own concerns, worrying that this wasn’t the kind of decision he should make.

Still, Naoki didn’t seem deterred, continuing on about the reasoning of his plans. Their meals were growing cold, and while both of them had picked at their meals, they hadn’t eaten much.

“But… now I think I don’t have any other choice,” Naoki said, “I have to do it.”

Souji moved a piece of steak over in his bowl, trying to think through what Naoki was going through. Helplessness; Naoki was feeling helpless, like he didn’t have a choice in the matter, and he couldn’t change anything. Souji picked up the steak, trying to swallow it without chewing.

He wondered if he should tell Naoki he understands how he was feeling; more than anything, he understands feeling like decisions are out of his own hands.

“Good luck, Naoki,” Souji said instead.

**11/11/11 - Friday**

Rise stood by his desk, stance confidant and feet firmly planted to the ground. She held her hands behind her back, where he couldn’t see them fidgeting. He still could tell, by the way she bobbed on the back of her heels unevenly, and how she couldn’t quite meet his gaze.

“Hey, Souji-senpai,” she said, “Want to go to Aiya’s after school today? You probably need to take your mind off things.”

Souji watched her, then gave a smile that didn’t reach his eyes, “I’m good.”

“You sure? They have this great special on rainy days-”

“-I was thinking that we could go into the TV world today.” He turned forward again, poking at his lunch again.

Rise stopped, heels not reaching the ground. Her gaze darted again- to where Chie would normally sit had she not been eating lunch with Yukiko, then to Yosuke, then back to Souji.

“Are you sure? We found enough supplies our last run,” She said. Her hands were in front of her, now, and she scratched the outside of her wrist.

“I’m sure,” Souji said, taking a bite of food.

And that was the end of that. Souji watched from the corner of his eye as she spent the rest of her lunch break trying to converse with Yosuke with eyebrow-raising and chin-pointing. Yosuke shook his head at places that didn’t make sense, feverently denying things she’d never asked, then finally figured it out.

Yosuke looked to Souji, who turned his gaze away. Then, he let out a slow breath, and turned back to Rise. He raised his shoulders in a shrug, then sagged back down into his chair.

“I don’t know what to do,” he said, quietly.

Souji pretended he hadn’t heard anything.

However, when they finally got into the TV world, Souji was dwelling on the confrontation and irritable. After they left school, everyone had kept trying to put it off, trying to distract him with the other marvels of Junes or, in a desperate attempt by an allergic Kanji, cats.

Finally, Souji had convinced the team that they should go back to Heaven to poke around; they hadn’t done much the first time, he’d said, and they probably could find some good items there. He didn’t mention that he was looking for clues, not goods.

Yosuke had given him another look; it wasn’t searching, anymore. It was more of a glare than anything, a look of doubt and suspicion of what Souji was doing.  

“Teddie, Naoto, and Yukiko, you’re coming with me,” Souji said, “Everyone else, stay behind.”

For a moment, Souji thought Yosuke would protest. Instead, her nervously flipped his kitchen knife, tapping his foot to an uneven tempo on the ground.

“Senpai?” came Rise’s voice, as they approached the second level of the dungeon, “Are you sure you want to be doing this? There’s nothing here.”

Souji shook his head, gripping the hilt of his sword.

“If you need me to think of an excuse, I’ve got a couple of good ones,” she said, “Dangerous shadow, can’t find the stairs-”

“-Rise,” Souji thought, tentatively, “I’m fine.”

He wasn’t as fine as he said. Focusing on his surroundings instead of his battles, Souji missed, and fell, and bled. He’d been in worse spots before, but not for training. He hardly listened to what Rise was telling him about the enemies’ weaknesses, instead electing to try and find answers on the walls.

“Senpai, I just said, he’s _immune to lightning_ ,” Rise said, at her wit’s end.

Souji switched Personas, shifting his weight from foot to foot, “Got it.” The battle ended soon after, with Yukiko needing to heal everyone more than they’d anticipated.

They only reached about halfway up the dungeon when Rise stopped giving them directions.

“We need to know where the next entrance is,” Souji protested, “Rise, please-”

“Yukiko’s almost out of energy from healing you all, senpai, you need to go back.”

“ _Rise_ -”

“I’m not letting you go any further! I may not be out there fighting with you, but I’ll do what I can to make sure you don’t get injured!” Her voice had gotten louder. Maybe she even lost her control over her thoughts, as everyone else in the group had turned heads, staring at Souji as if he’d yelled.

There wasn’t a way to sway her. Souji could run ahead, but the rest of the team looked like they wouldn’t follow. Sighing, Souji took one last look at the dungeon’s haze around him.

“I have one Goho-m,” Souji said, reaching into his bag, “Everyone ready?”

The group was quiet, as they exited the TV world. The other party members, the ones who didn’t even witness Rise’s outburst, had figured out something was wrong. It wasn’t too difficult to deduce from Rise’s mood. She couldn’t even look at Souji for long before huffing and turning away, frustrated.

“What was going on in there?” Yosuke asked under his breath. He had the sense, at the least, to make sure most of the other team members were distracted with something else before probing him.

“I heard some of the things Rise was saying,” Yosuke started. Souji closed his eyes, fiddling with the rims of his glasses.

“Rise was just… you weren’t there-”

“-Because you _left me out_. I know this place has been bothering you-”

“No, it’s not-”

“-well, something is, and you won’t tell me about it!” His voice raised, and now they had the attention of the rest of the team, “You’ve been _avoiding_ us.”

“It’s _not your problem_ ,” Souji said, voice raised. He held his hands at his sides, clenched, posture upright and tall, holding himself up as much as he could.  It was a struggle to say it, and stand this still and above Yosuke. Something gnawed on him from the back of his mind- _equals, right?_ \- but Souji ignored it.

Yosuke looked like he’d been slapped; his eyes widened and darted away.

The other members of the team had looked away, at this point, probably still listening but wanting to give them space. Souji deflated, suddenly looking and feeling small.

“Sorry. I…” Souji pressed a hand to his face. Yosuke still wasn’t looking at him. “I’ll take you, Kanji, and Chie in on Sunday. Everyone who didn’t go today.”

That wasn’t the problem, and he knew it. Yosuke looked like he wanted to say something in contrary, but instead, he just nodded.

**11/12/11 - Saturday**

The house is still quiet. It’s not something Souji can change; he had never been one to create his own noise, and, all things considered, there wasn’t a reason to create any noise right now. It would only be for his benefit, he figured.  

As Souji stretched, pulling himself reluctantly from sleep, everything ached. Battling in the TV World normally left him with bruises and sore muscles, without much of an excuse to have them, but this ache seeps into his bones. Further, he thought, but didn’t dwell.

After the events in the TV world the day before, Souji went out of his way to avoid the investigation team. He had eaten lunch with Daisuke and Kou, who were too distracted by the lunch Souji brought to comment on anything they noticed being off. He hadn’t made the lunch, himself. Opening the fridge, and knowing the contents wouldn’t change, put him at a distinct unease. It was easier, then, to just buy food from the convenience store.

After lunch, and after class ended, he skirted out as fast as possible, heading to the floodplains. The cats were missing from the river, today, as the nice man on the walkway was entertaining then with some twine.

Putting the bait on his fishing pole- some extra leftovers and, for one piece, a failed dish- Souji cast his line, waiting for a bite. He didn’t think he had a chance of catching the guardian today; he didn’t have the energy for it, even if it was out there.

Souji waited for the line to bob, and reeled in fish after fish. Between bites, he had the chance to think, and between bites he felt guilt in the pit of his stomach, and worry, and, most predominantly, _fear_.

He wished the cat was here.  

**11/13/11 - Sunday**

There’s shuffling around him; his head felt heavy, and he could hear the movement but not feel it. Even then, everything he heard was buzzing, faint but silencing at the same time. Every now and then, he could hear some faint, worried, words- Rise?- but it cut in and out.

“That was a _shit_ idea,” Souji heard from above him. At least, he thought it was above him; he couldn’t really get directions right, at the moment.

He tried to remember where he was- dungeons, he knew that. Nothing else could leave him like this, fuzzy and unaware of his surroundings, _injured_ , probably, but enough that he couldn’t feel it.

Another shuffle from the side- yes, the side this time. “Yosuke, now’s not the time…”

“Wait- what are you looking at me for? I... Yosuke-senpai’s right, for once.” This voice is closest, from behind him.

Yosuke, Chie, Kanji; a full team. That made sense, even though nothing else did, really.

He could feel something warm, dripping down his shoulder, and then something warmer. _Diarama_. He could nearly open his eyes now.

“The worst team- you made the _worst_ team! You _all_ hit hard and make yourself vulnerable,”

Another healing skill, between the diatribe. He could feel someone’s arms behind him, now, keeping him upright, and he could sense (and _dread_ ) the rest of the pain that was coming.

“I thought you were going to go in with, _I don’t know_ , some fucking- fucking _useful_ persona to heal knucklehead one and two,”

“ _Hey_ , shut it-”

“-you want him to shut up _now_?”

“-but no, you join them in your- in your knucklehead _sandwich_ , leaving me to try and play medic, and I can’t- I can’t heal you all at once, and Kanji was dizzy and knocked out, and you nearly- we _all_ nearly-”

Yosuke let out a breathy laugh, then, a choked noise. After a sharp intake of breath, Souji figured out that the choked noise was a sob. He wanted a better sense of what the hell had _happened_ , but everything still felt off and out of reach.

Souji blinked, trying to force his eyes open more. “‘m sorry,” he said, and the arms behind him tensed.

“Senpai, quit wasting your breath,” Kanji said, shaking him unintentionally, “Just shut it.”

Yosuke’s voice was cracking now, between syllables. Souji could hear it as he called his persona, but didn’t comment. The next round of _Diarama_ had Souji feeling groggy and sore, but he could finally hear Rise.

“Souji- Souji? Please, tell me you can hear me now,” Rise was talking- she had probably been talking for a long time before, too- and she sounded panicked.

“I can hear you,” he muttered out loud, though he didn’t need to say it out loud.

He could hear the relief in her voice, the edge of panic quelled but not gone, “You need to get up, I’m going to start getting you all out of there.”

Souji blinked, trying to focus again, this time on their surroundings. They were in Heaven, the soft blue light flickering around them. No wonder it had taken so long for Souji to focus- everything was bright and hazy, and he could hardly focus here even without being passed out.

Chie and Yosuke stood in front of him, both looking worse for wear. Kanji must be behind him, then, holding him up. Chie’s knuckles were bloodied and wiping at her eyes, and her stance slumped, a contrast to her normal battle pose. Yosuke had been crying- he had wiped as much as he could off his face, but Souji could tell from his jagged breaths-

“Yosuke…?”

Waving his hand in front of him, Yosuke grimaced an unconvincing smile, then tried to summon his persona again. He swayed to side, uneven on his feet. Not able to even keep up his grimace, he swayed harder, and Chie grabbed his elbow to make sure he didn’t fall.

“Woah, there, Yosuke-senpai, don’t pass out on us too-” Kanji had moved, nearly dropping Souji in order to help out.

Leaning on Chie’s shoulder, Yosuke waved his hands in front of him again, as if it was reassuring, “It’s- it’s fine, I’m just- spent, I don’t think I can heal anymore.”

Souji mumbled something, though he couldn’t quite make out what he said. It didn’t look like the others did, either, but Kanji had already pulled Souji up to his feet. He had one arm looped under Souji’s arm, the other one dragging a desk behind him.

“Kanji, you take Souji- I’ll make sure Yosuke doesn’t pass out on the way out of here,” Chie said, supporting Yosuke but looking like she was about to fall over herself, “Rise has the path out of here, she says it isn’t that bad.”

Kanji carefully guided Souji after Chie, glancing at Souji nearly as much as he watched for shadows. Souji was lucid, at the least. He could feel his limbs, which he wasn’t sure he enjoyed, but at least he had his wits about him now.

“Souji-senpai, that was a dumbass plan,” he said once they got to the first floor, “Why’re we even in here?”

“Something seems off,” Souji said. Both Chie and Yosuke had turned to look at Souji, but, with a word from Rise to watch out, turned around again.

“No shit it seems off, it’s a _serial killer_. You haven’t- you haven’t even visited Nanako in the hospital, not since the first day- you’ve just been going back here.”

“I can’t do anything there,” Souji almost fell, but Kanji gripped his side, “I, I can’t…”

“Ah,” Kanji said, his voice losing its frustration, and its confusion.

He couldn’t comment anymore, because Yosuke had turned around and yelled, “Stop badgering him, Kanji!”

“Oh that’s rich, coming from _you_ , knucklehead sandwich-”

“Hey! That was different, it was- he was barely even awake!”

Souji had the gall to laugh at that, despite the situation, and Kanji looked at him, perplexed.

“-Will both of you just _shut up_? I can’t hear Rise over your bickering. Besides, the entrance is right there, we’re almost out. Yukiko’s gonna heal us up, then we’re out of here.”

The rest of the team was equally worried when they got out; Yukiko had performed one more healing skill than required, just in case. Teddie hadn’t let go of Souji, and Souji was supported by him and Kanji both, even after they left the TV world.

The group had decided- despite Souji’s protests- that they were all going to crash at Souji’s for the night, each of them finding excuses for the endeavour to tell their parents.

“Rise and I will go buy some take-out and meet you there,” Naoto said, waving a hand and leaving before anyone could comment, Rise following after.

“Wait- won’t we get there before them…?” Chie said.

Kanji shrugged, “We’ll just let’m in, it’s fine.”

The group, being slow and tired and spent, did not arrive before Naoto and Rise. The two were waiting at the door when the group arrived, and Souji had to unlock the door and let the group in.

As Naoto and Rise brought out the bags of food, Kanji grabbed some plates from the kitchen and handed them out. They all tried to settle around the table, but Kanji, Yosuke, and Chie ended up taking the couch.

The food itself wasn’t great; Naoto had asked them to rush the service, and it was apparent. The company was better than the food, but still stilted. Souji caught Yukiko hovering more than once, as if she could use a healing skill outside of the TV world if anything went wrong. Every now and then, Yosuke would look over to him, worried and terrified, then dart back to his food.

As they ate, some of the tensions melt, with Chie proclaiming that this was the worst take-out steak she’d ever had in Inaba. Rise had asked her then well, what was a better place for take-out steak, and Chie had more than a few words about that. Teddie piped in that he’d never had steak outside of Inaba, and Yosuke vowed to take him to a place in the city once. When asked where, he just waved his hand, saying he was tired and didn’t remember right now.

Soon, as the food ran out and the team grew weary, Souji started clearing the dishes off the table, one by one. Chie bolted up, muttering something about not needing to do it yourself, accidentally elbowing Yosuke on her way up.

“Yeah, yeah, I’ll help with the dishes in a bit,” Yosuke muttered, head nodding forward. He’d taken the elbow as an accusation, and not an accident.

Chie turned on the water, testing it every now and then to see if it was hot. When it was, she motioned for Souji to put the dishes in the sink, and found a towel for herself.

“I don’t really like dishes,” Chie said, “I’m good with drying, though.”

It hadn’t bothered Souji much. He started washing, soap suds filling up the sink. Chie dried, but as much as she said she was good at it, she wasn’t; the dishes would probably have watermarks in the morning.

She seemed distracted, though, only putting half the effort into it.

Absentmindedly rubbing the towel on the next plate, Chie said, “You’re good at listening, but you aren’t very good at talking, are you?”

Souji stopped his dishwashing, looking sideways at Chie.

“I mean… you’ve been, I don’t know. Distracted? Isolated. Something’s been up lately, and I know that if it were any of us- _any_ of us- you’d have talked it out of us by now.” Chie abandoned all pretense of drying now, setting the plate down.

“It’s hard, I want to protect people, and that includes you, but you’re not giving anyone the chance to help,” Chie said, “You don’t have to do this alone, Souji-kun.”

Souji dipped his hands back in the water, pulling up another plate. “I understand,” he said softly, barely audible, “It’s… it’s difficult.”

“Take your time,” Chie said, taking the somewhat-cleaned dish from his hands and started drying it. Figuring he would have to rewash the dishes later anyway, Souji moved on to the next one.

As they continued the dishes, both of them watched the group in the living room. Yosuke had already fallen asleep, promise to help with the dishes forgotten. In his sleep, he had leaned on Kanji, drooling on his shoulder.

“You can always push him off,” Yukiko said, as Kanji stared at Yosuke.

Kanji shook his head stiffly, muttering something about “needing his sleep” and “don’t be that loud you’ll wake him up.”

Back at the table, Rise was searching through her bag, Teddie cataloging all the contents. Finally, she picked out a marker from her bag, uncapping it and looking positively gleeful.

Naoto, putting “marker” and “sleeping Yosuke” together, gave worried “help” looks toward Chie and Souji. Souji paused, but Chie gave the group two thumbs up in approval.

As Rise and Teddie drew an impressive set of cat whiskers on Yosuke, Yukiko tried to stifle her giggles in the corner, and Naoto continued shoot glances to Chie and Souji.

“Oh, do you think we should do anything else?” Rise said, putting the pen to her chin in thought, “We could always wait until everyone else starts nodding off, last one standing-”

“-It’s bedtime now,” Naoto said, taking the pen from Rise. Rise pouted, but before she could voice a protest, Naoto had hidden the pen in the back of the fridge.

Rise looked to the fridge, tempted to search through it. “You really don’t want to,” Souji said, and she dropped it, stating that she’d go with Yukiko grab the bedding upstairs.

They didn’t have much to work with, and they eventually decided to let anyone who had been in the dungeon to take part of a futon. When Souji had tried to wake Yosuke up to move him, he’d swatted him away, saying “oh my god _mom_ it’s a _Sunday_ let me sleep.”

Souji didn’t have the heart to wake him up, so Yosuke had the couch to himself. Souji and Kanji shared a futon jammed next to the couch, while Yukiko and Rise had a futon next to the TV. They had pushed the table aside, and everyone else was huddled between the two futons, jostling for blankets and space.

Before everyone had settled, Souji fell asleep to the grumbling, the snoring, and the bickering over blanket rights.

**11/14/11 - Monday**

Souji woke up to Yosuke’s hand in his face, fingers poking his eyes. It was unpleasant, and he tried to shove the hand away, but it fell back down, hitting his face. There was another arm draped on him, which he figured out was Kanji’s, and he gently moved it away.

Sitting up, Souji looked around the room. Everyone had shifted in the night. Rise had fallen off the futon and into the blanket nest battle field, her arms around Naoto’s waist. Chie had taken her spot on the futon, curled like a cat next to Yukiko, who was starfished across the futon. Kanji was only halfway on the futon, face down, one arm draped over Souji and the other in the blanket nest.

Souji peered at the blanket nest, trying to find the huddle of blankets that would be Teddie. All the blankets were spread out enough that it couldn’t be him, and feeling panicked, Souji stood up to look around the house.

He found Teddie sitting on the porch, criss cross and hands in his lap, and looking into the distance. He hadn’t noticed Souji until Souji had walked onto the porch, poking him on the shoulder.

“Sensei!” Teddie said, looking up at Souji, “You’re awake too? Come sit with me!”

Souji complied, sitting down about a foot away from the other boy. Unlike Teddie, he sat with his knees pulled toward his chest, hands linked in front of them.

“Why do you still call me Sensei?” Souji asked, quiet. He sat with his head on his knees, trying to find where Teddie was looking off in the distance.

“That’s a silly question- it's because you know what you’re doing.” Teddie smiled, but Souji was frowning, now. Teddie turned his head, but Souji was still staring at the morning skyline.

“I’m not sure about that,” Souji said.

“Not knowing things is fine, too,” Teddie replied, quickly, “I don’t know a lot, either.”

Silence grew between the two, as the sun rose in front of them.

“I’m sure everyone’s fine with you not knowing everything, either,” Teddie said, “You’re still Sensei, even if you don’t know everything.”

“Yeah?” Souji said, turning toward Teddie.

Noticing the slight change in behavior, Teddie smiled back, repeating, “Yeah, for sure!”

They sat there, for a while, in comfortable silence as the sun rose.

“Everyone’s still sleeping,” Teddie said, looking back to the house. “I wonder when they’re going to wake up.”

Souji looked into the house, “Probably not for a while.”

Then, giving Teddie an even bigger grin, he said, “I know where Rise hid the marker.”

The rest of the team woke up to markered faces; Yukiko had a large, curling mustache, Kanji had a button nose, and everyone else had an assortment of swirls and failed designs.  

**11/15/11 - Tuesday**

After school, Souji met up with Naoki, again. There was part of him that thought that continuing their conversations may be a bad idea- falling back into listening, even after Chie had chided him- but the look on Naoki’s face had changed his mind.

At Aiya’s, Souji sat next to Naoki, who poked at his food with little enthusiasm. He’d been complaining about how everyone seemed to go easy on him, letting him stagnate and not take action. Naoki bite his lip, and Souji waited for the conversation to continue.

“None of my actions have consequences,” Naoki finally said, “I can’t tell if I’m right or wrong, since everyone reacts the same either way. No one gives me orders. They just tell me to take it easy, then they take all responsibility away from me.”

Pushing around his food some more, Naoki continued, “Eventually, it doesn’t matter if I’m even there. I don’t have to do anything… I don’t even have to exist. Am I really that pitiable…?”

Souji followed the food as it moved around Naoki’s bowl. He’d eaten his own food, finally, but mostly, he had just watched Naoki.

Looking forward and swallowing thickly, Souji said, “You’re not the only one.”

Naoki was looking at him; Souji could feel it, and he kept his gaze forward. He tried to start again, but the words died in his mouth.

“...that’s right. Your cousin’s in the hospital, isn’t she?”  Naoki bit his lip. He’d abandoned all pretense of eating his food.

“Yeah,” Souji said. “She is.”

“I’ve talked your ear off,” Naoki said, “If you want to… “

The conversation lulled. Both took hesitant bites of their food, more than the poking of before.

Souji, swallowing a large bite of steak, said, “It’s alright. I haven’t been able to, really.”

“I understand. The offer’s still open.” Naoki looked at him carefully, then turned away.

Souji let out a breath, relieved.

**11/16/11 - Wednesday**

Souji had met Yukiko by the school entrance, holding his school bag at his side. She’d asked him if he wanted to walk home together after class, to talk, and by the time he finished lunch, he finally agreed.

“Sorry to keep you waiting,” Yukiko said, waving at him, “You didn’t wait long, did you?”

Instead of walking directly home, both of them decided to go by the picnic tables at the floodplains. Souji had been particularly insistent on the path, since he had packed some extra fish for the scattered cats that followed him around there.

They sat at the table, Souji feeding bits and pieces of fish to the cats. The tiniest scrap of a kitten had turned into the most persistent fishmonger, battling even the largest of tabbies. Yukiko had giggled at it, as it fell on its side trying to nab a particularly large piece of fish.

Souji then threw a piece on the tabby’s face to watch the kitten spring into action, and Yukiko started cackling, holding her stomach with one arm and hitting the table with the other.

They ran out of food, after a while, but the tabby stayed, curled at Souji’s side. He scratched it behind the ears, the two and the cat in a comfortable silence.  

Yukiko wranged her hands together, watching Souji carefully. Looking away, she said, “Feeling like you can’t change anything is awful.”

Souji looked up, but only briefly. Yukiko was still watching him, trying to figure out when she should continue.

“My whole life, I felt like that- like I couldn’t save anyone, like I couldn’t save myself, even if I wanted to.” The cat had moved over to Yukiko, then it plopped itself in between the two, its head resting on Yukiko’s leg. Souji continued to scratch the cat’s head.

Yukiko looked at Souji. His gaze was still on the cat; he tried to look up, but couldn’t keep the eye contact for long. “I know you want to do something for Nanako-chan, and that’s why you’ve been going into the dungeons again and again, but right now…”

“We can’t do anything,” Yukiko said, “And it must feel awful.”

Souji ran his thumb across the cat's chin, and it purred. He nodded, still looking at the cat, “Yeah, it...”

When it was clear Souji wasn’t going to continue, Yukiko leaned back on the bench and said, “If there’s anything I can do, Souji-kun, anything any of us can do, just tell us.”

Looking up at Yukiko, Souji nodded again, with a terse smile. The cat had noticed the switch in attention, and jumped off the bench.

Souji watched it leave. “Thanks for understanding,” he said quietly, giving Yukiko another quick glance.

“Anytime,” Yukiko said, just as quiet.   

**11/17/11 - Thursday**

He was at the diner again, listening to Naoki’s slow conversation. He didn’t say much, only nodding or the occasional comment; he knew he had the option, but he never wanted to breach the subject.

It was nicer, now, knowing he at least had the opening, even if he didn’t want to take it.

“You know, I like cream puffs,” Naoki started, eating his food instead of picking at it, “I know it’s kinda girlish. There’s a good cream puff shop by our house, so every once in a while I’ll buy some and take them home. If I put them in the fridge, Sis would eat ‘em.”

Naoki paused to take another bite. He ate it slower, this time. “She’d make up some lame excuse, like ‘I ate them for you since they were about to expire.’ So we’d always get into fights over the creme puffs.”

Leaning back, Naoki didn’t spare another bite, “But now… the cream puffs don’t disappear. I bought some, and they expired in the fridge. When I saw that, I thought, ‘Oh, maybe…’ ‘Maybe Sis isn’t here anymore,’ y’know. So I threw them away. “

Souji felt his stomach drop, thinking about the expired food in his own fridge, and the reasons for it.

“Yeah, the fridge at home’s the same for me,” Souji said. He played with his food, pulling his steak across his bowl and plopping it back down.

Naoki paused, then scratched the back of his neck, “Sucks, right? Should be able to look in your own fridge without having to think about it.”

“Yeah,” Souji said. He played with his food for a while, then took another bite. He wasn’t sure how much more he could say.

Naoki was waiting, looking at Souji with the same, patient look he was sure he’d given other people before. Souji shook his head, “Ah, sorry, you can continue.”

Nodding, Naoki took another bite of his food, then said, “I told you before, ‘If you ask me if I hate the killer, the answer is no.’ The truth is, it’s not even a no… I don’t know anything.”

“I have a meaningless daily life,” Naoki said, “Just confused parents and a dark house. Just rotting cream puffs… How do I get out from that… What would be best for me, for Sis…? I just don’t know.”

Both of them continued eating, Souji mulling over responses in his head.

“Take action,” Souji said, mostly to Naoki, “You don’t have to be helpless. There are some things you can do.”

Naoki smiled, a small, wry smile,  “I know I’m stagnating, I know it’s not good, I know that I need to move… I know all that…”

They both took more bites of their meals, then Naoki continued talking about his sister and her job, both of them making plans to visit Junes in the time to come. Naoki hadn’t been there, even before his sister died, and he figured that he should at least go there once.

In return, Souji made plans for himself, to at least try to visit Nanako in the hospital.

**11/18/11 - Friday**

Souji was distracted, waiting and pacing, when Kanji had found him in the halls of the practice building. Without much forethought, he’d accidentally startled Souji, who was too lost in his own worries to be prepared.

“Souji-senpai! Didn’t mean to, uh, scare you there,” Kanji said, patting him on the shoulder awkwardly, then scratching the back of his neck. “What’re you doing here, anyway?”

“I don’t need to be at the bus stop until later,” Souji said, “The hospital. I’m going to see if I can see…”

“Oh,” Kanji said, expression changing from embarrassed to concerned, “Do you need-? I can go with you, if..”

“I know you don’t like hospitals,” Souji said, and Kanji nodded.

“I wouldn’t want ya to go there alone,” Kanji said.

The two of them had waited for the bus together, shoulders bumping into each other as they both jittered, nervously. Souji was quieter, subtly shifting his weight from foot to foot, while Kanji stretched more than someone would stretch in an entire day, much less half an hour.

When they got there, Souji’s plans had been dashed by the receptionist. They still couldn’t visit Nanako, who was in critical condition, or even Dojima, who was sleeping and “not to be disturbed, at all costs.”

Souji and Kanji sat back down in the waiting area, fidgeting just as much as before.

“That’s rough,” Kanji stretched, for the who-knows-how-many-th time, “Can’t even see your uncle.”

“We’ll just catch the next bus,” Souji said, “It runs every hour.”

“The hell, senpai, you have the schedule memorized? I’ve lived here all my life, and never bothered.”

Souji sighed, “I worked as a janitor, for a bit.”

Silence stretched again, then Kanji paused, mid stretch.

“You think as a janitor, you could, uh,” Kanji said, “You know. Sneak into her room?”

Souji shook his head, “No, you need a key card- a… nurse’s key card.”

Standing up quickly, Souji grabbed the front of Kanji’s shirt, dragging him behind him.

“H-hey! What’re we-” Kanji squabled as the stopped at the lockers, and Souji started tearing through his own, tossing a janitor uniform at Kanji.

“I thought you said that wouldn’t work?” Kanji said, staring at the janitor’s uniform in his hands.

Souji dug through the locker again, finding a spare uniform, and Sayoko’s keycard. He’d left it in his locker, still uneasy about the nurse even when she left, but he wouldn’t sacrifice the opportunity.

“I have a keycard,” Souji said, “Hurry up, put that on.”

It took a while for them to get dressed; Kanji’s shoulders were wider, and he had to fuss over mending it so that it looked natural, but eventually, both of them were dressed and prepared with the card. Sneaking past the receptionist, they entered the maze of hallways.

Finding Nanako’s room was difficult; they had to listen to a couple of stray comments to get it right, but when they were in the right hallway, Souji recognized the door from when she was first brought there.

His hand shook, as he took out the keycard and tried it on the door. The first time, he’d swiped the wrong side. The second time, the door processed, then lit up red.

Souji tried the card one more time, then another, and another, the light continuing to glow red, until Kanji stepped in and took the card away from Souji’s hands.

Both of them stared at it, and Souji wiped his face on his sleeve.

“I guess it was deactivated,” Souji said. Kanji turned over the card in his hand, looking at the black bar on the bottom.

“Yeah,” Kanji replied.

They stood there until some passing nurses gave them suspicious looks and too-loud comments on how the janitors should be working, and they snuck out. Changing out of the janitor clothes took less time than changing into them, but they still had to wait for the next bus back into town.

The ride home was quiet, but not unpleasant. Kanji had apologized for the plan not working, and Souji shrugged it off, saying thanks for trying with him, anyway.

**11/19/11 - Saturday**

The next day, it rained. There wasn’t much Souji could do in the rain. His normal options were fishing, or the TV world, and he didn’t think anyone would be up to the TV world for a while, him included.

So, he packed his supplies, and headed out to his regular fishing spot. With an umbrella positioned above him, Souji cast out his line, waiting for the fish to bite.

Before anything could bite, his phone buzzed in his bag. It buzzed three times, in quick succession, a tell-tale sign of who it could be.

Setting the rod on the ground next to him, Souji dug in his bag, fingering open his phone. Sure enough, the messages had been from Yosuke- three quick, in succession, each making minor corrections to the first.

> _hey. sry we havent talked since. u kno._
> 
> _its raining and i just wanted 2 make sure u were good_
> 
> _and not like. in the tv._

Souji stared at his phone, but tried to type a response promptly.

> I’m fishing, no need to worry.
> 
> _i wasnt worried._
> 
> _not that worried._

Souji snorted, and after no new message denying that came, he responded.

> I’m sorry about the other day.
> 
> _dude u might have 2 clarify. u did a lot_
> 
> _i did 2_
> 
> _we both did a lot ????_

Fishing had long since been forgotten; Souji was pretty sure his bait was gone at this rate, but that wasn’t the priority right now.

> About it not being your problem. You reacted badly it it took me too long to understand why. I should have talked to you, not gotten mad when you were concerned.
> 
> _o yeah. that._
> 
> _ye like. yeah i was pretty mad about that_
> 
> _like we r..._
> 
> _like i’ve told u shit ive never told any1 else._
> 
> _hell, uve SEEN shit that only like. teddie has seen. shadow stuff_

There was a plop in the water, and Souji’s fishing rod shot forward. Fishing shouldn’t have been the priority right now, as Yosuke’s messages continued to pour in at a rate only Yosuke could really pull off, but unfortunately, if Souji didn’t at least try to stop this fish, he’d lose the old man’s rod.

He tried to reel in his catch as soon as possible, as his phone continued buzzing loudly at him. Finally, he’d pulled the fish in- it was a big one, but he was more annoyed with that fact than pleased- and checked his phone.

It hadn’t taken long to reel the fish in, only about five minutes, but his phone had thirteen new messages.

> _he also doesnt count btw_
> 
> _and like i thought u would trust me 2???_
> 
> _and u kept ignoring me_
> 
> _o btw u still there???_
> 
> _souji????_
> 
> _okay whatever.  yea i was mad u for that. super mad_
> 
> _bc like u shouldnt need to hide shit like that._
> 
> _but i was mad but then like_
> 
> _u got distracted in a battle and nearly got urself killed_
> 
> _im not gonna lie that scared the shit out of me_
> 
> _i didnt want 2 lose u u kno???? not after fighting_
> 
> _u mean a lot 2 me_
> 
> _and i didnt kno how 2 make up u kno bc u didnt want 2 talk_

There was a brief pause between the times; evidently, Yosuke had waited before panicking. Only about a minute, but that was longer than most his messages timing.

> _r U there??? partner_
> 
> _lstn im sry if u still dont want to talk._
> 
> _souji???_
> 
> Sorry. I was fishing and caught something, wasn’t looking at my phone.
> 
> _i kind of rambled there, haha_
> 
> I appreciate the rambling, and I’m sorry for not talking to you sooner.

Yosuke didn’t respond, even though Souji had waited a minute for him. Knowing this was his cue to continue- Yosuke was probably too embarrassed or conflicted to type something hastily- Souji sent some more messages, instead.

> It’s kind of hard to type this out.
> 
> Do you have time tomorrow?
> 
> _yea after my shift. some1 bailed again and i have 2 cover. ugh_
> 
> _i should be done at like ??????? late. v late_
> 
> _but i can tell my dad im staying over to idk study_
> 
> _can also stay for the midnight channel w/ u_
> 
> I’ll talk to you then
> 
> _ok. sure. ill talk 2 u then._

**11/20/11 - Sunday**

It was nearly midnight by the time Yosuke arrived. He had knocked on the door, sopping wet, water dripping from his hair.

“Sorry, for getting the place wet- I forgot my umbrella at school, and didn’t really have the time to- you know, find something else-”

“It’s fine,” Souji said quickly, “I’ll go get you a towel.”

Souji left, searching the bathroom for as many towels as he could find. He found his own, and a guest towel, but left Dojima and Nanako’s there.

Heading back to the entry way, Souji tossed Yosuke a towel. Yosuke quickly rubbed his hair dry, leaving it sticking up in odd places. Instead of handing back the towel, Yosuke set it on the couch, and leaned back.

“It’s quiet,” Yosuke said.

“Yeah.”

Rain pattered on the windows, and Yosuke toyed with the chord of his headphones.

“I’m sorry for not talking to you earlier,” Yosuke said, “I- hadn’t been sure what to say, you seemed pretty mad, and I didn’t want to make things worse, especially after Sunday.”

Souji shook his head, then sat down next to Yosuke. “It’s fine, I hadn’t tried talking to you either.”

“I heard from Kanji you went to the hospital,” Yosuke played with the towel under him, now, teasing a loose string with his fingers, “That’s good, right? You’re… that’s good?”

“You and Kanji gossiping, like the old wives in the shopping district?” Souji smiled, and while the smile faded fast, it wasn’t tight-lipped.

“Wha- hey, dude! Not fair, we weren’t gossiping like old wives, I was just asking how you were- jeez, are you laughing? You’re not _fair_ ,” Yosuke had pressed a hand to his forehead, but he was smiling, at ease with the familiarity.

Souji stopped laughing, and watched Yosuke mess with the towel, “I’m not really good at talking about this.”

“Understatement of the fucking year,” Yosuke said, and noticing Souji’s expression, backpedalled, “It’s not a- it’s not awful, it’s just been- I want to help, but it’s- I don’t know what I’m saying, quit looking at me. I’m going to run myself into an early grave, dude, please save me.”

Knocking his shoulder into Yosuke’s, Souji said, “Yeah, sure, you’re saved, no need to bury yourself deeper.”

Both of them said nothing, for a while, sitting and listening to the rain run off the roof.

“It’s almost midnight,” Yosuke said, “We should probably check that, then…”

Souji nodded, pushing himself off of the couch, to which Yosuke protested.

“Wait, what? No, dude, I’m beat, and there’s a TV right there. No one else is here, it’s fine.”

That didn’t seem to comfort Souji, but he sat back down, nevertheless. Keeping his hands at his sides, they were practically fists, bunched together in nerves and tension.

The clock ticked, and they waited for the TV to turn on. When it did, it fizzed, yellow screen showing up blank.

Yosuke relaxed into the couch next to Souji, letting out a sigh of relief. Souji hadn’t. Yosuke caught his gaze, and Souji still looked just as tense as he had before the channel turned on.

“Souji,” Yosuke said, and Souji didn’t look back at him, “That’s it, right? We’ve saved her- she’s not in there, you don’t have to worry about it.”

Souji shook his head, the movement mechanical.

“I don’t know what you’re thinking, partner,” Yosuke said, voice hesitant, “I- please, talk to me?”

“I normally watched it upstairs,” Souji said. “The Midnight Channel.”

Yosuke said nothing. Souji sagged further into the couch, bringing his hand over his eyes. Souji’s elbow dug into Yosuke’s side, but neither of them said anything about it.

“The first time I touched the TV World, I- I fell back, hit my head on the table. I think I woke Nanako up, she thought I’d hurt myself.”

Souji rubbed the back of his neck, as if he could still feel where he hit the table. Glancing over at Souji with a perplexed look, Yosuke set a hesitant hand on Souji’s knee.

“I didn’t want to bring her into this,” Souji said, “I didn’t want- I didn’t think- I thought I didn’t have to bring her into this.”

“Souji...“ Yosuke had moved his hand, again. This time it was hovering over Souji’s shoulder, caught between that and the couch.

“And I know we saved…. we rescued her, we did the best we could. But that’s not enough! She’s still...” Souji slouched further, his hand completely covering his eyes. Finally, Yosuke placed his arm around Souji’s shoulder, hand gripping his arm.

“I thought, maybe, there was something in his dungeon, that we missed. Something, some clue, that would help her, but,” Souji paused, biting his lip, “That almost got you- all of you- killed.’

“No, it almost got you killed, asshole,” Yosuke muttered, and Souji didn’t protest.

Leaning up and removing his hand from his face, Souji swallowed, then said, “We can’t really do anything right now.”

Finally admitting it caught him in a confusing combination of relief and fear. His hands shook, and he leaned back down. His hand no longer covered his face, but he could still feel fresh tears streaking down it.

“We can’t do _anything_ right now. And I didn’t know- I don’t know what I’m doing, and I thought if I did, if I was a- a better leader, maybe we wouldn’t be here.”

Souji rubbed his eyes again, “I’m not- I’m not perfect, Yosuke, I don’t know what I’m doing, and it’s- it’s terrifying, I can’t admit it, I can’t- tell people, because they’ll worry, and I don’t want…”

Yosuke seemed at a loss; Souji tried to use his own shoulder to cry into, trying to hide his own shaking.  

Still crying, Souji hadn’t noticed when Yosuke had pried Souji away from his huddled position, moving him into an awkward, if effective, hug.

“It’s not your job alone,” Yosuke said, “If you think we could have figured it out sooner, then it’s all our faults, not just yours, alright?”

Now, Souji recognized the hug for what it was worth, and gripped around Yosuke’s middle, burying his face in the crook of his neck.

“We’re here for you, partner. I…,” Yosuke trailed off, instead just setting a hand on Souji’s back, and the other in his hair.

Souji could hear Yosuke’s music from the headphones around his neck, under his own crying. He had stopped, eventually, but he still clung there. Neither of them seemed ready to move.

Admitting it hadn’t made Souji feel better, at least not now. Maybe later, when morning came, he would feel something, but now, he just felt _drained_. He had muttered some apologies to Yosuke, who waved them off, still holding him on the couch.

And around them, misting the windows, seeping into Inaba the fog encroached, quiet and inevitable.  

**Author's Note:**

> so, November was an interesting month. I panicked, rescued Nanako on the first day, and spent the rest of the time doing Naoki’s social link. (Most of his dialog is directly from his social links, btw.) It seemed to fit. There were a lot of parallels between protag’s situation himself, and it fit my idea that protag is much better at dealing with other people’s problems than his own. A listener, not a talker. Not very good at expressing his own problems. That, and this picture, sort of propelled me into this. 
> 
> http://colonel-ressentiment.tumblr.com/post/129203711984/itll-be-okay-of-course-were-gonna-save-her
> 
> Anyway. I tried to keep social link characters on the right days they should interact, get the weather right, etc, though there are some small differences. (Rise tries to hang out on a rainy day, Yosuke says he can’t hang out when he can for plot reasons) Artistic liberties and whatnot. I also may have messed up my calendar a bit (the after the sleep over scene was supposed to be on a Sunday, but… here I am.)
> 
> My favorite thing to write is Yosuke texting. what a fucking disaster, I say, as if I don’t text like that.


End file.
